Dale City Local

Woodbridge, VA March 3, 2018 — 7:00 p.m. Occoquan-Woodbridge-Lorton Volunteer Fire Department responded to the report of a house fire at 2004 Horner Road, Woodbridge. Initial units arrived on scene within minutes and reported a house well involved with fire. Crews responded in a defensive attack. Not only was the house on fire, but firefighters had to contain a brush fire due to the wooded and heavy brush area around the home.

Fire & Rescue units from OWL VFD, Dale City VFD and PWC Department of Fire & Rescue and PWCPD, responded to the incident. No one was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Prince William County Fire Marshal’s office.

OWL VFD is one of the largest and busiest volunteer fire departments in the United States with almost 300 members. OWL VFD provides fire suppression, EMS care, and rescue services to 80,000 residents in our 27 square mile area through the operation of three fire stations. OWL volunteer Firefighters and EMTs work the 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift, five days a week, plus 24/7 holidays and weekends.

Emergency Department physician Dr. Anoop Kumar has dedicated his life to helping people who are sick, scared and hurt.

“I received my MD in 2007 and completed my training in Emergency Medicine in 2011. I like the clinical diversity of Emergency Medicine. I see young, old, female, male, many critically ill, some not so ill, medical, psychiatric, surgical, and social conditions. If one can bear to look, it’s [the Emergency Department] a window into the soul of society,” says Dr. Kumar.

While his goal is to help and heal the men, women, and children who enter through the doors of Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, Dr. Kumar has always been concerned with more than physical ailments, saying, “The mind-body connection is real. There’s a lot of research pointing to that.”

That connection plays an integral part in his life, and it’s something he’s especially mindful of as he’s treating some of the region’s sickest patients. While being the answer to a patients’ prayers is a tremendous gift, it also carries with it an enormous amount of responsibility. That’s why Dr. Kumar has organized something for his co-workers at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. Every month, he leads a meditation session for the doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital.

Meditation is something he has had in his life since he was a child. “I grew up with meditation,” explains Dr. Kumar. “To start off meditating as a kid isn’t really meditating, it’s just noticing things around you. Noticing your thoughts, noticing your feelings.”

As a child, Anoop Kumar was surrounded by the teachings of Eastern philosophy. He says he came to recognize a common message woven through philosophy, science and spirituality- a message of well-being. It’s that message that helped inspire him to write his first book, “Michelangelo’s Medicine.”

“When I became a physician and completed my training in Emergency Medicine, I saw that all those years of thinking about health, healing and what it means to be human could lend an important context to healthcare,” he explains. “One of the main points I make in the book is the human being is not only a human body. For example, when we learn anatomy, we learn about organs. But organs alone don’t make a human being. We have to include other elements, like emotion, thought, intuition, desire and consciousness.”

Dr. Kumar isn’t a stranger to sharing his knowledge when it comes to the art of meditation. It was just about two years ago when he began corresponding with Deepak Chopra, known worldwide as a pioneer in mind-body medicine. “The statements he made about the mind several decades ago were often ridiculed, but today some of those same principles are taught in top institutions around the world. Interestingly, the period over which his career developed is the same period over which I was privately thinking about the same things.”

Since that time, Dr. Kumar has spoken at three of Chopra’s events. He says it’s been an invaluable experience, and while he’s gleaned a number of lessons from these events, one of the most important is simple: “I’ve learned to keep putting my ideas out there. There are no perfect ideas. If the ideas are good, they become refined and therefore more useful in the heat of the spotlight.”

Dr. Kumar’s latest idea is coming in the shape of a book on anxiety and how poorly managed anxiety and stress contributes to disease. In an effort to keep his healthcare colleagues from heading down that path, Dr. Kumar says he’ll continue offering his month meditation, which he hopes offers not only relief but empowerment to members of the team.

“There’s always a lot more to know, there’s always a lot more to experience,” he says. “And sometimes as we branch out and experience more things, the things that we already know get seen in a new context and new light and changes how we experience our lives.”

If you’re looking for a change or an employer who supports you, head over to sentaracareers.com. We’re looking for qualified candidates to join the team.

The fifth part of our Ethos at FreshySites, Service as Marketing, is the natural conclusion to every other aspect of our Ethos – both what we’ve covered so far and what’s to come.

An integral part of any company’s marketing efforts is their brand – that central identity, in conjunction with their mission, that defines their operations and differentiates them from every other industry competitor.

For us, that central aspect of our identity – and therefore our marketing efforts – is our customer service. We’ve said it before, but our best-in-industry customer service and support defines FreshySites and how we operate on a day-to-day level.

Each day, the members of our team dedicate themselves to serving the customer, looking for any way to help them and show them their value, including asking for more and being ego free.This mindset, while pushing FS forward, also allows our team to grow from within in our members’ pushing themselves to be the best they can be each day.

Because it guides and defines our daily processes, our customer service is the central tenet of our identity, and is therefore, the core of how we market ourselves.

We want to impress upon potential clients – through social media, TV spots, write-ups and more – that in choosing FS, you’re not just choosing a website design/development company.

You’re choosing a whole team of dedicated partners – committed to helping you build and grow your organization or company’s online presence – that will be with you every step of the way, from the day you submit a contact form or call our office to well after your website is live.

Our success can be attributed to a lot of things, but predominantly to our team’s attention to each member of our client family – whether that means turning around proposals in the same day, stopping what we’re doing to answer a client’s support ticket or going the extra mile to include every feature a client wants on their website.

FreshySites is a regionally focused company with national reach and operations, where customer service/support is at the heart of who we are and what we do.

FreshySites is a fast-growing website design firm dedicated to creating beautiful websites, while consistently delivering best-in-industry customer service and support. Founded in 2011, FreshySites has quickly expanded into the largest in-house WordPress web design shop on the East Coast. Our Washington D.C. office was founded in 2012 by Vincent Consumano. With additional offices, we have the team, resources and tools to serve our local – and national – clients through website mockups, creative briefs, revision rounds, and Search Engine Optimization audits. FreshySites is determined to take our regional clients’ online presence to the next level, ultimately helping them to grow and thrive. Explore our website to learn more about us, see our portfolio of work and become a part of our client family today!

Chief Barry Barnard of the Prince William County Police Department will host a “Conversation with the Chief” on Thursday, March 8, 2018 at Potomac View Elementary School located at 14601 Lamar Roadin Woodbridge beginning at 7:00 PM. We would like to extend an invitation to those who live in the community and the surrounding area to come out, meet the Chief, and engage in conversation. Chief Barnard will personally answer questions and discuss any topics of concern from residents. This is a wonderful opportunity for the community to get to know their Police Department and ask questions directly to the Chief and other police staff. Members from the Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit and recruiters will also be on hand to answer questions and provide useful information regarding safety tips, neighborhood watches, and recruitment. The Chief plans to hold additional community engagement conversations at other locations across Prince William County this year. We look forward to seeing you and having a productive discussion.

Burglary to a School *ARRESTS – On February 27, officers with the Town of Dumfries Police Department located and arrested the 17-year-old male who was wanted for a burglary to Graham Park Middle School located at 3613 Graham Park Rd on February 22. Upon further investigation, detectives with the Property Crimes Unit also identified the second suspect involved, identified as a 14-year-old male, and arrested him without incident. Detectives believe that these two suspects may be involved in multiple burglaries and auto thefts in the Dumfries and Triangle areas. Additional charges are pending. The investigation continues.

Burglary to a School [Previously Released] – On February 22 at 8:43AM, officers responded to Graham Park Middle School located at 3613 Graham Park Rd in Triangle (22172) to investigate a burglary. The investigation revealed that two male suspects climbed onto the roof and accessed a door from an interior courtyard that was left unsecured. The suspects took multiple computer tablets and an undisclosed amount of money from the school’s library. Upon further investigation, officers were able to identify one of the suspects as a 17-year-old juvenile male of Dumfries and obtained petitions for his arrested. Attempts to locate the 17-year-old juvenile male have been unsuccessful. The investigation continues.

RICHMOND – The abduction and slaying of a 19-year-old Norfolk woman prompted General Assembly approval of legislation to create an Amber Alert-like system for “critically missing” adults.

The “Ashanti Alert” called for in HB 260, sponsored by Del. Jerrauld Jones, D-Norfolk, was approved by the Senate on Thursday and now awaits the signature of Gov. Ralph Northam to become law.

Ashanti Billie was abducted in 2017 from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, where she worked at a sandwich shop, and later found dead in Charlotte, North Carolina. Because Billie was an adult, she didn’t meet the criteria for an Amber Alert.

“Once Ashanti went missing, we became more aware of other situations where something like this had happened but there was no mechanism in place,” said Jones, who represents the 89th House District, where Billie lived. “This is a public safety issue, not a partisan issue.”

Eric Brian Brown, described by authorities as a retired Navy veteran who worked at the base with Billie, has been charged with kidnapping in Virginia and in connection with her death in the Charlotte area.

Members of Billie’s family connected with Jones through their friend Kimberly Wimbish, who had worked with the delegate on his election campaign last year. They asked him to draft a bill to help those who currently don’t qualify for missing persons alerts.

Wimbish, who initially used Facebook to publicize the young woman’s disappearance, said the case raised awareness about missing adults, especially in the Norfolk area where people had connections to Billie.

“Everyone said she would give them her last. That she was always helpful and friendly,” said Wimbish, who serves as the family’s spokesperson. “We have to know and believe her kindness was taken for granted.”

Jones said the bill gives Virginia State Police the power to set criteria for the “critically missing adult alert.”

If approved by the governor, the Ashanti Alerts will be modeled on the Amber Alerts. An Amber Alert includes issuing emergency messages over public broadcasting networks, displaying electronic messages on highway signs and sending texts to all cellphones within range of the cellular carrier towers in the affected area.

Amber Alerts are also spread voluntarily by other state agencies, the news media and nonprofit organizations. For example, a program called A Child Is Missing can make 1,000 telephone calls with a recorded alert within a minute, according to Virginia’s Amber Alert Plan.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that Amber Alert systems nationwide have helped in the recovery of more than 540 children.

Last year, the General Assembly declared April 29 as “Missing Persons Day” to recognize the 600 Virginians missing at that time, and their families. Advocates are getting ready for the second annual Virginia Missing Persons Day.

Friends of the Squareneed your help on Saturday March 10th, 9am-12 noon for the big clean up event at the waterway near Bull Run Shopping Center and Costco Manassas. Bring your energy and spirit and they’ll provide litter bags, litter grabbers and gloves. Please wear boots. This is a great way to kick off daylight saving weekend! Please call (571) 379-8213 for more info.

We also have these nonprofit needs in the community:

· Keep Prince William Beautifulhas a fun new program for fitness enthusiasts to take action to be environmental stewards. This volunteer team is calledPrince William Ploggers. Please call Lynda at (571) 285-3772 to get your Plogger team going.

· Hey Teens –there are still a few volunteer spots available to help at theICan Bikeevent during Spring break at Colgan High School. It’s a great way to help new bike riders and have tons of fun during spring break- March 26-30. Please register to volunteer at:icanbikepwcvolunteer.eventbrite.com. You can call Jennifer or Yukiko at (571) 989-3618 to learn more.

· The Autism Society of Northern VAis gearing up for the annual walk in the fall and need volunteers to join their planning committee. Tasks include coordination, outreach, recruitment, promotion, fundraising and logistics management. Please email them at:volunteer@asnv.orgto learn more.

· Manassas Parks, Culture and Recreationis looking for volunteers to serve as instructors or assistants for a basic tech class for seniors. The curriculum includes navigating the internet, online banking, reading emails and attachments as well as basics of Microsoft Word. Please call Jean at (703) 257-8451 to learn more.

· CASA Children’s Intervention Servicesis looking for volunteer advocates to work with children in crisis. They have an extensive training program to give you all the needed skills. Please come to their next volunteer information session on March 21stfrom 6-7pm at 9415 West Street Manassas. Please email Suzanne at:smitchell@casacis.orgto learn more.

· TheHaymarket Regional Food Pantryinvites you to their 40 days of Giving Campaign-2018 Lenten Challenge. Gather your friends and family to pledge either a can a day or a dollar a day to support the many families in need. This campaign started February 14thand goes through April 1st– Easter Sunday. Suggested items are all the usual’s you know! A full list and additional info can be found on their website at:haymarketfoodpantry.org

· The Lutheran Church of the Covenantin Dale City wants to pack 30,000 meals forRise Against Hungeron March 10th. Super fun, family friendly event to help those less fortunate. You can choose either morning or afternoon shift. Please visit:www.whatsupwoodbridge.comfor the link to register. They also need donations to buy the meal components. Please call Patti at (703) 200-3077 to learn more.

· Occoquan Watershed Clean-upis hosted by Rebekah a 13 yr. old Girl Scout on March 10th10am-12;30 at Lake Ridge Park. Come support her litter prevention project! Please email Rebekah to volunteer or for more info at:sue.davejohnson@gmail.com

· Save the date! April 21stfor the9thAnnual Upper Occoquan River Clean-up– 9am-2pm. This extensive project has a whole number of places to start the day. Trash bags, water, gloves and refreshments provided. Please visit their website at:pwtsc.orgto register and get all the specifics for the day. Please email Ed atefdandar@verizon.netto learn more.

· The ARC Greater Prince Williaminvites you and your family to their 5K Run/Walk/Roll on Saturday April 28th, 8am at Potomac Nationals Stadium. $25 for the first 100 participants, $30 early-bird registration before April 1stand then $40 regular price. Please visitarcgpw.orgfor more info and to register today!

· Mark your calendars for April 18thatChick-Fil-Ain Lake Ridge to find more volunteer opportunities from area agencies. The event is 9am-10:30am. Bring your friends for free coffee.

· The Bull Run Rotary Clubinvites you to their annualManassas Runway 10K, 5Kor 1 mile run on the Manassas Airport Runway on Sunday April 29that 8am. Please register online at:bishopseventregistrations.com

If you are looking for other opportunities, please don’t forget to call my wonderful team at Volunteer Prince William. Jan can help you with the Retired and Senior Volunteer (RSVP) opportunities at (703) 369-5292 ext. 1, Shelley can help with any individual or group projects and send you weekly updates if you’d like. Shelley is at (703) 369-5292 ext. 0, and Bonnie can help you with opportunities available in Disaster Preparedness at (703) 369-5292 ext. 3. Please visit our newly re-vamped website atwww.volunteerprincewilliam.org. Thanks so much for all you do in our community.

In our last article, we talked about four activities you can enjoy with the senior in your life to increase quality of life. We started off with conversation, sketching, reciting and singing. Here are four more ideas to try.

Stretching – If you have been caring for a senior for a while, chances are you know a little about their physical strengths and challenges. Put this knowledge to good use. Lead a little stretching session. You might be able to do whole body stretches (reach high up over the head, point palms to ceiling and gently wiggle the fingers) or focus on a particular body part, like the foot. Point the toes, flex the ankle, whatever feels good. Be sure to go slowly and ask your senior how each movement feels. The point is to loosen the muscles and to engage in conversation about sensations. Note, it is recommended you ask a physical therapist or doctor what kind of movements they would recommend before you engage in this activity.

Gift making – Giving makes most people feel good, and giving handmade gifts can feel even better. Help the senior in your life enjoy both. Put together some simple gifts for birthdays, holidays or just because. You might help your senior arrange items in a gift basket, wrap it and put a big bow on it. Or you could try creating a centerpiece using a candle, silk flowers and a plate. For some people, just wrapping a gift and tying a nice ribbon is enough. No matter what you choose, this activity is good for maintaining motor skills, and it can stimulate different kinds of conversation.

Cooking – For many seniors, cooking is a challenge. Manipulating utensils can be painful or awkward. Forgetting how to prepare food or operate the oven is often a problem, too. Let the senior in your life be part of the process by simplifying it. For example, take all the ingredients out for a sandwich and have your senior assemble it. Prepping for a party? Maybe your senior can dip strawberries in chocolate and set them up to dry. Maybe chopping carrots is too much, but peeling is fine. Whatever the case, safely involve your senior in short stints in the kitchen to increase their sense of independence as they use smaller muscle groups.

Sensory games – Humans are grounded through the senses, and what we experience through them leaves a lasting impression. There are all sorts of ways you can use the senses to evoke memories, feelings and expression. Play an old album and talk about the time period the music reminds your senior of. Lightly spray some of their favorite perfume or cologne in the air and ask them what they like or remember about the smell. If your senior is an animal lover, arrange a short visit with a gentle dog, cat or therapy animal and encourage petting. Offer different foods for the senior in your care to sample. Listen to and watch reactions closely. All these short activities involving the senses can encourage word recall, stimulate conversation and provide enjoyment.

As we noted in our previous article, not all activities will be appropriate for all people. Consider what you know about the senior in your life and offer alternatives based on that. The more activities you do together, the more you will learn about their likes and dislikes and you will be able to offer more options. You’ll see that short bursts of activity can go a long way towards improving quality of life.

Johnson, served as the event’s emcee at Matchbox Restaurant in Woodbridge.

Among the messages for the women: make your health a priority, know your risk factors, and know heart attack symptoms.

According to the American Heart Association, some of those symptoms for women include:

Uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, or pain in the center of your chest. It lasts more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes

Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or

Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.

Other signs such as breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting and back or jaw pain.

“Women, because they have so many responsibilities, tend to neglect themselves,” explains Medical Director of

Electrophysiology at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, Dr. Aysha Arshad, “By the time women patients show up for care, their disease and prognosis are much worse compared to men.”

Survivor and keynote speaker, Katherine Hazemey was just 38 years old when she suffered her heart attack.

Since that time, Hazamey has changed her life and changed her habits. Even though she works long hours, she now gets up at three in the morning to make sure she has time for exercise.

It was that piece of the puzzle, Leslianne Grendysz, NP, shared with the crowd, it’s never too late to make changes in your life to benefit your heart with healthy habits.

“It’s important to take charge of your life and that means taking charge of your health,” Grendysz explained to the crowd, “Know your risk factors. Some factors like heredity, our race, our sex – we have no control over. But, we do have control over our diet, activity level and deciding whether we smoke or drink. Changing some of our habits can make all the difference in the world.”

Some of those habits include:

Get active

Control cholesterol

Eat better

Manage blood pressure

Maintain a healthy weight/BMI

Reduce blood sugar

Stop smoking

To learn just how healthy your heart is, log onto Sentara’s 28daysofheart.com to learn more about risk factors, healthy tips and recipes and discover what your heart’s age is, the answer might surprise you.

Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center is a 183-bed, not-for-profit community hospital serving Prince William County and its surrounding communities. Our medical center combines the resources of a major health system with the compassionate, personalized care of a community hospital.

RICHMOND – The Senate joined the House Tuesday in unanimously approving a bill that requires Virginia jails and prisons to provide inmates with free feminine hygiene products such as pads and tampons.

If Gov. Ralph Northam signs it, House Bill 83 would take effect in July.

The bill, sponsored by Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, also received unanimous approval in the Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee.

Other legislation this session to remove the sales tax on feminine hygiene products, along with bills for exemptions during the state’s three day tax-free period in August and year-round failed to advance past House committees.

“It’s appalling that this was ever even an issue,” said Katrina Reid, a supporter of HB 83.

Currently, the Virginia Department of Corrections and some local and regional jails offer pads to inmates for free; however, tampons must be purchased. The cost to prisons will be included in the department’s budget and was estimated at $33,769. The cost has yet to be determined for jails.

The State Board of Corrections will be responsible for creating the feminine hygiene policy in the correctional facilities. While some states, such as Colorado, offer unlimited menstrual supplies, others, such as Arizona, have a maximum number of free pads and tampons allowed per month. The board has not yet specified a preference.

FREDERICKSBURG – The Virginia Department of Transportation will close the Interstate 95 southbound on-ramp from Courthouse Road in Stafford County next week to allow crews to finish work on the temporary ramp.

Beginning the evening of Monday, March 5, crews will close the existing on-ramp from Courthouse Road to I-95 southbound to begin milling and paving the temporary ramp.

The existing on-ramp will close overnight Monday, March 5 through Thursday, March 8 from 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. the following morning. Traffic will then be shifted onto the new, temporary ramp starting early Friday, March 9. The on-ramp is the only ramp affected with this work. Traffic can still exit to Courthouse Road from I-95 southbound on these evenings.

The on-ramp will remain open during the day. There will be no impacts to traffic during the morning and afternoon rush hours.

Local traffic should use the most convenient alternate route to access I-95 southbound, including Route 1 to Exit 143/Garrisonville or Exit 136/Centreport Parkway. Detour signs will be placed along the interstate to guide drivers not familiar with the area.

The new ramp is parallel to the existing on-ramp. The temporary on-ramp is steeper than the existing one. Crews have extended the acceleration lane on I-95 southbound by approximately 600 feet to give drivers a longer distance to merge at interstate speeds.

Shifting traffic slightly onto the temporary ramp will provide space for crews to build bridge abutments as part of the new diverging diamond interchange. When construction is finished in 2020, traffic will enter and exit the interstate from new ramps branching off the relocated Courthouse Road.

Message boards and extra signage will be posted this week to warn motorists about the upcoming ramp closures and traffic shift.

Project Background

When the $185.3 million widening and interchange project is complete, Courthouse Road will intersect with Route 1 at Hospital Center Boulevard.

In summer 2020, Exit 140 will open with new bridges and ramps in a diverging diamond interchange (DDI). In a diverging diamond interchange, vehicles are briefly shifted to the opposite side of the road, controlled by traffic signals. The DDI improves safety by reducing the number of spots where vehicles could collide, and can handle more left-turn movements per hour, twice the capacity of a conventional interchange.

WOODBRIDGE – Route 1 traffic will be shifting onto new pavement Friday, March 2 and then Monday, March 5, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The northbound lanes between Mount Pleasant Drive and Dawson Beach Road will shift Friday beginning at 10 a.m.; the southbound lanes between Occoquan Road and Marys Way will shift Monday beginning at 10 a.m. Both shifts are weather permitting.

Drivers should expect delays and are asked to use caution when driving through the work zones.

Live Traffic Map

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